[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[April 8, 2005]
[Pages 569-579]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Interview With Reporters Aboard Air Force One
April 8, 2005

Pope John Paul II's Funeral

    The President. Listen, were you there in person?
    Q. Yes.
    The President. One, I'm really glad I came. There was never any 
question I would come. Last night we hosted a reception at the Embassy 
for many of the leaders of the Catholic Church at home, and they were 
very grateful that I came and Laura came and 
Dad came and President Clinton came and Condi came 
as well as others. And I told them, to a person, that it's such an honor 
to represent our country at a ceremony honoring a truly great man who is 
and will always be a great historical figure.
    I knew the ceremony today would be majestic, but I didn't realize 
how moved I would be by the service, itself, by the beautiful music. I 
was struck--as an aside--struck by the fact that the sound was so clear 
in this huge facility. It was as if we were inside the cathedral 
listening, and the voices were so pure. I thought the homily was really 
good. We were given an English version, fortunately--if you haven't read 
it, maybe you've seen it? Yes. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautifully done.
    I was struck by the response of the crowd. And I think it's 
interesting to note the moments where the crowd responded. One in 
particular is when His Eminence 
spoke to His Holiness's relationship to the young of the world, and 
there was a great outpouring of enthusiasm for that line. And then I 
think the thing that struck all our delegation most intensely was the 
final scene of the plain-looking casket--one of three, by the way, lead, 
wood, and wood--being carried and held up for the seal to be seen, and 
then the sun pouring out. This will be one of the highlights of my 
Presidency, to have been at this great ceremony.
    So off we go to home now.

Pope John Paul II's Legacy

    Q. Your predecessor suggested that the Pope would leave a mixed 
legacy, even though he was a great man. Since you differed with him on 
the war to such a great degree, do you also think it will be a mixed 
legacy?
    The President. I think Pope John Paul II will have a clear legacy of 
peace, compassion, and a strong legacy of setting a clear moral tone.

Upcoming Meeting With Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

    Q. You're going to see Prime Minister Sharon soon. There's been some 
talk in Israel that maybe you're not going to raise this issue of this 
latest settlement expansion. Are you going to do that?
    The President. I've raised the issue of settlement expansions 
publicly. I mean, it was upon the prompting of your question. You bet. 
What I say publicly, I say privately. And that is, the roadmap has clear 
obligations on settlements and that we expect the Prime Minister to 
adhere to those roadmap obligations. And the roadmap has got obligations 
for the Palestinians. We have a great opportunity--``we,'' the world, 
has a great opportunity to help a democracy grow--begin and grow, 
starting in the Gaza.
    The Prime Minister of Israel has decided to pull out of Gaza. As you 
know, I applauded that decision at the White House, with him standing by 
my side. And I think now is the time to focus the world's attention on 
what is possible. And we've already started that process of realizing 
the possible by having General Ward work 
with the Palestinians to streamline and coordinate Palestinian security 
forces so that, upon the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza,

[[Page 570]]

there is a security presence that will protect people.
    We've got to do more. We've got to make sure that an economy can 
flourish there.
    Q. So you're going to try to talk him out of this latest settlement 
expansion he's talking about?
    The President. My position is clear, and I will--I stated, 
obviously, now the second time in a brief period of time, and I will say 
so privately as well.
    I think you need to know what the successful strategy will be. And 
that is there is more than just security in Gaza. We need to have 
institution-building, and there needs to be an international effort that 
encourages and fosters economic vitality so that a government which does 
emerge in Gaza will be able to better speak to the hopes of those who 
live in the Gaza. And success in the Gaza will make success on the West 
Bank easier. And so one of our--I will be talking to the Prime Minister 
about the need to work with the Palestinian Government, President 
Abbas, to facilitate success, to 
enhance success.
    Let me make sure I go back to the first answer on His Holiness. I said--I think my answer was, is that--what did 
I say?

Pope John Paul II's Legacy

    Q. I asked if you thought it was a mixed message, and you said, ``I 
think John Paul II will have a clear legacy of peace.''
    The President. A clear and excellent legacy, if you don't mind 
adding the word ``excellent.''
    Q. Clear and excellent.
    The President. Yes. In other words, a strong legacy. I wanted to 
make sure there was a proper adjective to the legacy I thought he left 
behind. It was more than just ``clear.''
    Press Secretary Scott McClellan. You 
said ``strong,'' too, in that answer.
    The President. Okay.
    Q. Yes, you said ``strong legacy of setting a clear moral tone.''
    The President. Fine. Okay, good.

Democracy in the Middle East

    Q. Getting back to the Middle East for a moment, there have been 
hopeful signs in the region lately. But some in the region think that 
some of our allies there, particularly Saudi Arabia and Egypt, still are 
not doing enough to help foster democracy in their own countries. Do you 
think they're doing enough, or are you encouraging them to----
    The President. We will continue to encourage democracy. But I also 
have said many times that it is important for those of us who live in a 
democratic society to remember two things: One, our own road to 
democracy was a little bumpy; we have a Constitution and a Declaration 
of Independence but, nevertheless, had slavery for a long period of 
time, for example. And secondly, that we shouldn't expect others to 
adapt that which we think--we shouldn't try to impose our democracy on 
other nations. What we should say is, ``We'll work with you to develop a 
democracy which adapts to your own cultures and your own religions and 
your own habits.''
    I'm fully aware that there is work to be done. But I think it's also 
our job to encourage those nations and, at the same time, recognize that 
all nations are not starting at the same spot in order to achieve 
democracy. I mean, Iraq, it's very important for us in Iraq to recognize 
that we--we transferred sovereignty 10 months ago. Remember we all 
traveled to NATO--to the NATO summit? And it may seem like an eternity 
to you all--[laughter]--but 10 months in the greater scheme of things is 
a short period of time. And nevertheless, during that short period of 
time, the Iraqis have voted, and today they've announced their Prime 
Minister. The Government will be up and 
running, the Government Assembly there, to write a constitution. In 
other words, things are happening quite rapidly, which is positive.

[[Page 571]]

    But nevertheless, there is a certain--there's got to be a certain 
realism about how fast things can possibly happen, given where different 
nations have started from.
    Now, I will continue to press forward on encouraging democracy and 
reform in every nation, because I believe that is the ultimate strategy 
to defeat the terrorists. In the short run, we'll continue to find them 
and work with nations to find them and share intelligence to find them, 
bring them to justice. In the long term, the spread of freedom and 
democracy--democracies reflecting the nature of the people and the 
history of those countries will mean that generations will more likely 
grow up in peace.

Pope John Paul II's Funeral

    Q. When you sat there surrounded by that incredibly--array of world 
leaders and looked forward to the kind of spread of democracy you're 
talking about, is there something about just that assemblage there? Who 
did you talk to? Who did you see? And did it strike you that this was a 
remarkable ability to pull together such disparate people?
    The President. I was most attentive to the ceremony, itself, and was 
amazed by the size of the crowd. We came walking out of the grand 
stairway, and it was a very inspiring sight.
    Q. And the flags.
    The President. And the flags and the statues and just--yes, the 
bishops and the archbishops and different leaders of the churches right 
across the way from me. Of course, the cardinals--you know, a handful of 
whom I know, have gotten to know quite well and admire greatly, by the 
way. So that was pretty well my focus there.
    When I first got there--when Laura and I 
first got there, we shook hands with the folks around us. Obviously, 
Jacques and Madam Chirac were right next door; I spent some time visiting 
with them. But everybody there was--there wasn't much chitchat. There 
was intense focus on the ceremony.
    Q. But what it represented, to have that many people----
    The President. No, I understand. I believe that is part of the power 
of Pope John Paul II. And he was such a believer in freedom. I saw Lech 
Walesa, for example. I was struck by the number 
of Polish flags that were in the crowd.
    You know what was really interesting? There were some signs urging 
that His Holiness be made a saint.
    Q. Now!
    The President. ``Now,'' yes--``subito.'' You know, I really didn't 
reflect that much on the politics of the moment during the ceremony. I 
was more--I thought a lot about Pope John Paul II. I mean, here's a 
person who has shown that a single individual can make a big difference 
in history and that, in my judgment, he received his great power and 
strength from the Almighty.
    Q. Just to follow up on that, Mr. President, a couple questions 
about the Pope. One, I noticed at one point you had your glasses on, and 
you were following along--I'm not sure if you were looking at the homily 
at that point or maybe, did you have one of those guides that----
    The President. I did. It's hard to follow--my Spanish is not very 
good--[laughter]--nevertheless, it is decent enough to pick up sounds 
that then can help me follow the Italian.
    Q. Had you ever been to a Latin mass before? I imagine you've been 
to an English mass.
    The President. No, never been to a Latin mass.
    Q. The other question was, we never had a chance to--you talked 
about a lot about what struck you from this ceremony. We never got a 
chance to talk to you about, by contrast, how you were struck by the 
wake, if you will, when you went through

[[Page 572]]

the other night. How do the two ceremonies--you know, different kinds of 
emotions in the two?
    The President. I felt--I mean, obviously, we were surrounded by a 
crowd at the wake, but I felt--when I was kneeling there, I felt--I'm 
trying to think of the right word--``alone'' isn't the right word, 
because I was aware of people, but felt much more in touch with a 
spirit. I really did. I was very much--felt at peace there and was 
prayerful. And at the other ceremony, it was probably just because of 
all the sights and sounds and majesty and colors that, you know, I felt 
more like a spectator than a participant, but more of a spectator.
    Q. You knew him personally, I mean, to kneel there and see his body 
after you've met with him so many times and had--I mean, that must have 
been quite powerful and----
    The President. My relationship with Pope John Paul II was a very 
good relationship. He was such a gentle man, and at the end of his life 
he made his points to me with his eyes. The last visit, as you know, he 
was pretty physically--he was struggling, and yet his eyes twinkled, 
just real clear. Much of the communications was done by paperwork, 
which----
    Q. Did he speak English?
    The President. Some, but it was hard to really understand him 
because he was struggling. That's why it's really interesting for people 
to note that there was a lot of testimony--and in my remarks, I tried to 
witness that as well--that his struggle at the end of his life and the 
dignity with which he struggled was a clear example of Christ's 
influence in his life.
    I was honored to see that firsthand. He's one of the great vigorous 
leaders--mountain climber, educator, instructor--who then had to 
struggle using the very tools that enabled him to be a vigorous teacher, 
outdoorsman, freedom fighter, and yet, nevertheless, he still could 
communicate clearly through eyes which were, you know, crystal clear. 
And I remember the Castel Gandolfo, when Laura 
and I went to visit him. And he took us out on the balcony. The Castel 
overlooks this fantastic lake; it's a spectacular lake. And he was much 
more conversant then. I think it might have been my first trip?
    Q. It was 2001.
    The President. Yes. Right before or after Genoa, the G-8 in Genoa. 
And he had a sparkle; he really wanted to show us this beautiful 
setting. I would define Pope John Paul II as a clear thinker who was 
like a rock. And tides of moral relativism kind of washed around him, 
but he stood strong as a rock. And that's why millions--one of the 
reasons why millions came to admire and love him.
    I was asked by some of the leadership of the Church, was I surprised 
at the turnout? I said, ``Not at all, because millions from all 
religions, millions of Catholics and millions of others admired his 
strength and his purpose and his moral clarity.''
    Q. How did the Pope struggle with his health at the end of his life 
and his example throughout his life strengthen your own faith?
    The President. Well, you know, it is as--clear example of Christ's 
influence in a person's life that he maintained such a kind of hopeful, 
optimistic, clear point of view amidst struggles--in his case, physical 
struggles. And that's--a lot of Christians gain great strength and 
confidence from seeing His Holiness in the last stages of life.
    Q. Do you think that will help you in the months and years ahead, in 
your own life?
    The President. Well, I think all of us get touched in different ways 
if you're on a faith journey--we're all affected differently. But yes, I 
think my relationship with--and Pope John Paul II's example will serve--
will be a moment in my life that will strengthen my faith and my 
belief--not just me, more significantly, millions of people whose life 
he touched. I think we

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might have witnessed--I don't know--perhaps the largest funeral in the 
history of mankind. I'm not sure if that's true or not; somebody said 
that might be true.
    But there's a reason why the largest crowd ever to come and pay 
homage to a human happened, and it's because of the man's character, his 
views, his positions, his leadership capacity, his ability to relate to 
all people, his deep compassion, his love of peace. There's a reason 
why. Again, I repeat, I was honored to be one of many there, and I know 
you all were as well.
    Besides the pomp and the majesty and the colors, there was a spirit 
that was an integral part of the ceremony. For me, the spirit was also 
at the wake, but more personal at the wake. That was a personal moment.

President's Faith

    Q. If there was ever a moment where you ever had any doubts in your 
own faith, what out of the past public things would strengthen your 
resolve and firm up your relationship with your God?
    The President. I think a walk in faith constantly confronts doubt, 
as faith becomes more mature. And you constantly confront, you know, 
questions. My faith is strong. The Bible talks about, you've got to 
constantly stay in touch with the Word of God in order to help you on 
the walk. But the Lord works in mysterious ways, and during all our 
life's journeys, we're enabled to see the Lord at work if our eyes are 
open and our hearts are open. And today--you can analyze, and you can 
look at the coffin being held, with the sun shining on it, anyway you 
want. I happen to feel it was a special moment that was part of a 
special ceremony for a special person. And it helped strengthen my 
faith. And you can have your faith strengthened on--you can have your 
faith strengthened when you stand up at a faith-based initiative and see 
someone standing up and testify to what their love has done to help a 
child or how a child's life has been helped.
    My faith gets strengthened when I went to the school the other day 
and saw the mentoring relationship between a young professional woman 
and a young kid who's going to go to the SEED School where there's a 95-
percent chance that kid is going to go to college. And that helps 
strengthen my faith. So there's, you know, ways--whether the moment be 
majestical or whether the moment be a part of just an average--your 
average moment in life, you can find ways to strengthen your faith. And 
it's necessary to do so, in my judgment. There is a--it's called a 
``walk.'' It's not called a ``moment'' or a ``respite''; it's a 
``walk.'' It's a constant maturing of an understanding of a--and today's 
ceremony, I bet you, for millions of people was a reaffirmation for many 
and a way to make sure doubts don't seep into your soul.

Pope John Paul II's Successor

    Q. Given that, how difficult do you think that it will be finding a 
successor to fill his shoes?
    The President. Look, I'm interested in working with whoever the 
successor is. And I think that, as Cardinal McCarrick said at the ceremony on Saturday, the 
day His Holiness died, asked for prayers as he began his journey as one 
of the electors, as a Cardinal. You know, I'm not going to prejudge the 
selection process.
    Q. Are there any qualities that you're specifically looking for?
    The President. I'm not a part of the selection process. I will be a 
President representing a great nation in dealing with a great 
institution with which we have diplomatic relations.
    Q. It's got to be a tough act to follow, though.

President's Meeting With Italian Prime Minister Silvio 
Berlusconi

    Q. Can you tell us a little bit about your dinner with Prime 
Minister Berlusconi? Did you talk, particularly, on Iraq? Did the

[[Page 574]]

subject come up, in terms of the intelligence officer who was killed by 
Americans?
    The President. Yes, it did come up, and I expressed my regret once 
again and assured him that the investigation would be conducted in an 
aboveboard, transparent way.
    Q. Did he say it had been a problem for him in keeping the support 
that there is in Italy for having troops in Iraq?
    The President. No, he reaffirmed his commitment to--which he has 
given in the past--that we've got to make sure we complete the mission, 
that we help Iraqis to fight off the few. He knows what I know, that the 
sooner that gets done, the sooner our troops will be able to come home.
    But he's also aware that what we don't want to do is leave 
prematurely, so that we don't complete our job. And the new Government 
is just about to be stood up; we look forward to working with the new 
Government on a lot of things and a lot of fronts. But on the security 
front, it's to make sure we're in sync with our training schedules, make 
sure that the chain of command within the military and between the 
civilian government and the military are strong and capable and will 
endure.
    We've been waiting for this new Government so that we can then 
strategize. And as soon as the Government is sworn in, the appropriate 
folks, we can get Zal confirmed quickly, 
get him out there--of course, we have a good, strong Deputy Chief of 
Mission there now, upon swearing in--of 
course, I will be in contact with the Prime Minister. I've already spoke to the President. And General Casey, as 
well as the Charge--I mean, the Deputy Chief of Mission will be in touch 
with; Condi will be touch with her 
counterpart; Secretary Rumsfeld will be 
in touch with his counterpart as we strategize as to how to move 
forward.
    As we strategize on tactics, on how to implement the strategy--which 
is clear--which is, we want to train you and make you as efficient as 
possible as quickly as possible, so that all of us can begin to, you 
know, as I say, bring our troops home with the honor they've earned.
    Q. Italy is going to pull out 3,000 troops, I think, by the fall. 
Will you be able to absorb that?
    The President. I don't know why you say that. I'm not sure why you 
said what you just said.
    Q. I thought that was the number of troops Italy had in Iraq, and 
I----
    The President. They've got 3,300 now, and you said they're going to 
pull 3,000 out by the fall?
    Q. Well, I guess--I don't----
    The President. Okay. What I did hear was, is that the Prime Minister 
wants to work to make sure we complete the mission. But I'm not sure 
where that came from.
    Q. Do you think he'll leave troops in if, in fact, enough haven't 
been trained?
    The President. I think we'll work to complete the training mission 
of the Iraqis. And it's important we do it and get it right. The amazing 
thing is, is that if you really think about what's happened in the 10-
month period, in spite of some very difficult days and in spite of some 
tragedy, loss of life, this country is--there is a democracy emerging in 
this country. And it was really kicked off by the huge vote of over 8 
million people.
    But no, we'll work with all our coalition, continue to make sure we 
stay in touch with all our--I had breakfast with Tony Blair this morning, speaking about coalition. You know, I stay 
in regular contact with the Prime Minister.

Representative Tom DeLay

    Q. Can I ask you about Tom DeLay, the statement he made in the wake 
of the Schiavo case, that judges were out of control and should be held 
accountable. What did you think about those?
    The President. I believe in an independent judiciary. I believe in 
proper

[[Page 575]]

checks and balances. And we'll continue to put judges on the bench who 
strictly and faithfully interpret the Constitution.

Foreign and Domestic Priorities/Social Security Reform

    Q. Mr. President, I know you're not--you've said--you've often said 
you're not consumed by polls, but a fair amount has been written lately 
about your approval ratings, which in some polls are at sort of a low 
point. Some polls----
    The President. Some of them were going up the other day.
    Q. Okay. Well, some say that----
    The President. You can find them going up, and you can find them 
going down. [Laughter]
    Q. In general, what----
    The President. You can pretty much find out what you want in polls, 
is my point. [Laughter]
    Q. What about the theory that your Presidency is moving from one 
dominated by foreign policy to one of domestic policy? Ironically, now 
that some of things are settling down in Iraq and Afghanistan and you're 
facing tough issues like Social Security, it's a little tougher road to 
hoe. What are your thoughts?
    The President. My thoughts are the President has always got to 
balance foreign policy and domestic policy, and I will--I did so in the 
first term. As you might remember, we were confronted with a recession, 
and I felt we needed to reform schools, and at the same time, I had to 
fight the war on terror. We're continuing to fight the war on terror. 
The war on terror goes on, and that's the important thing for me to 
continue to remind our fellow citizens. By the way, we will work to 
defeat the enemy by, you know, making sure our troops are well framed 
up, prepared, ready to move quickly. It's part of the transformation 
process that the Secretary is leading. 
And to make sure our intelligence services mesh and work closely 
together, I'm looking forward to getting John Negroponte confirmed as quickly as possible, so we can deal with 
this crucial aspect.
    But there's also, obviously, a domestic component. There was a 
domestic component in the first term. There is a domestic component in 
the second term. I might remind you that at points during the tax 
debate, I can remember people had declared that tax relief was dead on 
arrival. Occasionally, somebody would say something that was not very 
positive about the process, and people would all of a sudden assume that 
nothing was going to get done. So I'm accustomed to, you know, the 
process of getting a piece of legislation out. And I'm very optimistic 
that when it's all said and done, the legislators will understand that 
the American people recognize there's a problem in Social Security and 
expect something to be done. And I look forward to being a part of that.
    I had laid out a timetable to make it clear to the American people 
my views about the problems inherent in Social Security. And I think 
we're making progress. I think slowly but surely, the American people 
are coming to realize there is a serious problem with Social Security--
not if you've retired. And that's the other aspect of making sure we 
succeed in the Social Security debate, is to make sure seniors know 
they're going to get their checks. And we've got work to do on that.
    Q. Still think it will pass this year?
    The President. I certainly hope so, because now is the time to fix 
the problem. Every year we wait costs billions of dollars more. And I 
fully realize some people would rather me not be discussing this issue. 
The job of the President is to set an agenda that deals with problems. 
And sometimes--sometimes the legislature doesn't want to deal with the 
problem.
    But I'm going to continue to remind all of us in Government that 
when we see a problem, we have an obligation to do something about it, 
no matter what some

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may think are the short-term political consequences. I happen to believe 
that not dealing with the problem will create political consequences 
when the public realizes how serious the problem is. If you don't deal 
with the problem or you go home and say, ``I'm not dealing with the 
problem,'' there will be a political consequence.
    I've learned that lesson, as a Governor and President, that the 
people expect and respect people for setting agenda items and staying 
focused on achieving a solution to the problem. And I've set an agenda. 
I set an agenda on energy. We need an energy bill. You know, we've been 
talking about energy for 4 years. Now, I fully realize an energy bill 
reflects a longer-term strategy. But we need to--we need to do a lot of 
things.
    Eventually what we're going to have to do is change our habits, 
change the types of automobiles we drive. I believe we will have a zero-
emission coal-fired electricity plant. I saw the--when we went to 
Cleveland--or Columbus, we saw the technology involved with that. But 
Congress needs to get me an energy bill. And it seems like to me, with 
the price of gasoline where it is, that ought to be enough this time to 
cause people to get moving on the bill. But I'll continue to push it.
    We need to get a budget. We passed--I put a pretty good budget, a 
real good budget. It helps cut the budget in half--the deficit in half 
over a 5-year period of time. Now they need to get their differences 
worked out and get it to my desk. I'll be a part of that process as 
well.
    And then, eventually, we're going to have this tax relief commission 
come forward. In other words, I have an obligation to set agenda items. 
And when I set one, I will continue to work it and remind people that we 
have a duty to deal with these problems.
    I like the debate, by the way, as an aside. I'm enjoying this. I'm 
enjoying----
    Q. Even if a lot of----
    The President. ----because I feel I got elected for a reason. My 
nature is such that, if I came to Washington and saw a problem and 
didn't deal with it, I wouldn't feel very good about myself. I want it 
to be said that George W. Bush got elected and did what he said he was 
going to do, for starters.
    You covered my campaigns. Every speech, I talked about Social 
Security. And I started talking about Social Security in the year 2000, 
because I recognized a problem coming down the road. And it is a serious 
problem, particularly if you're a younger American. You have no problem 
if you're receiving a Social Security check. I do not care--and I'm 
going to say it like you've heard me say it--it doesn't matter what the 
propagandists say, people are going to get their checks. You might 
remember the ads that they ran against me when I was running for office 
that said, ``If George W. gets elected, you're not going to get your 
check.'' I'm sure you guys analyzed those and realized that upon 
election, people got their checks, which might say something about those 
who ran the ads, right? Well, they're saying it again. They're trying to 
frighten seniors in order to stop people from coming together.
    Now, in 2001, something that has lost a little bit of the focus of 
those covering this issue, I called together the Moynihan Commission, 
and I think it might be wise for people who analyze this issue to 
refresh their memory about the Moynihan Commission, because the Moynihan 
Commission, made up of equally Democrats and Republicans, came up with 
some interesting ideas to solve this problem.
    Q. How deeply have you had to draw down on that political credit 
that you felt you had?
    The President. I think you get--I think you earn capital, you know? 
I think----
    Q. Are you spending any?
    The President. I'm spending a lot--every time I go out. [Laughter] 
But you earn capital by spending capital; that's what the

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people expect. We've got trips--I'll be keeping--going out, reminding 
people that there is a problem.
    And one of these days, we'll be able to look back and say, ``You 
know, we were successful convincing the American people there was a 
problem, and we were successful reminding seniors that you're not going 
to have your check taken away from you.'' And then all of a sudden, it 
becomes a true generational issue, because the grandparents receiving 
the checks, they're going to start asking, ``Now that I'm secure, what 
are you going to do for my grandkid,'' because the grandchildren are 
going to pay an enormous price. You heard those experts sit up there and 
say that if nothing happens it is likely younger workers are going to 
have to pay an 18-percent payroll tax.
    Now, I was born prior to 1950. But if I were my daughter hearing 
somebody predict that at some point in time she's paying an 18-percent 
payroll tax, I'd be suggesting to the old man--me--that I get something 
done. And that's what we're doing. We're working hard to get it done.
    Q. Are you surprised that it's taken this much work, this long----
    The President. No.
    Q. ----to make progress on this, because, you know----
    The President. No. And this is a difficult issue. I've heard Members 
say--I'm not going to tell you who they are nor what party they're from; 
I wish you hadn't have brought this up. We hear the talk out of Capitol 
Hill saying, ``Oh, darn, I wish the President had just focused only on 
the budget or maybe the energy bill.'' There are a lot of people who 
would rather not talk about this issue. I understand that. Again, I 
don't think that's part of my job description, avoid issues because it 
may be politically difficult. I think my job description is, if you see 
a problem, talk about it and work with members of both political parties 
to come up with a solution.
    And there's beginning to be some talk on Capitol Hill. But I'm not 
the least bit surprised, because it is a tough issue for Members, for 
people who've got, you know, a relatively short-term horizon, 2-year 
horizon. They're worried about--some of them are worried about 
elections. Some of them in both the House and the Senate--from both 
parties, by the way--are thinking longer term. And they're beginning to 
talk some ideas, and that's constructive.
    You know, I remember I was telling President Clinton, I remember watching one of his townhall meetings 
in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on this very subject. And I thought it was a 
very impressive presentation. By the way, a lot of the language happens 
to be pretty close to some of the townhall meetings we've had.
    But, no, I'm not surprised people want to avoid this issue.

Travel With Former Presidents Bush and 
Clinton

    Q. What has it been like spending time with the former Presidents 
for 3 days? That's the longest time----
    The President. It's fun. Oh, it's great. You know, we share war 
stories, you know, a lot of talking, a lot of interesting experiences 
about different world leaders that we may all have met--or all three of 
us met, just different experiences that, you know, my dad might have had 
or President Clinton might have had.
    There is a lot of interest, obviously, with former Presidents about, 
you know, policy, so I had them sit in on our policy briefings this 
morning with Condi and Steve and the CIA fellow traveling with us--not this 
morning, yesterday and the day before, on Air Force One. And then 
yesterday at the Embassy, I wanted to include them in. And you know, we 
had a--these CIA briefings a lot of time prompt policy discussions, you 
know, how is this process going. Steve and Condi, now that she's here--
both of them were able to bring Dad and President Clinton up to date on 
our strategy in dealing with a particular issue. It's interesting to

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get their points of view about their experiences in particular 
countries. It was fun. It was really a lot of fun. I was honored they 
came.
    Q. Are you worried about them spending so much time together, those 
two? [Laughter]
    The President. Well, you heard my gridiron speech. [Laughter]
    Listen, thank you all. Hope you enjoyed the experience as much as I 
did. Absolutely fascinating.
    By the way, I think when you discuss religion--on doubt, there is no 
doubt in my mind there is a living God and no doubt in my mind that the 
Lord, Christ, was sent by the Almighty. No doubt in my mind about that. 
When I'm talking about doubts, I'm talking about the doubts that an 
individual struggles with in his or her life. That's important for you 
to make sure you get that part of the dialog correct, if you don't mind.
    Q. Thank you.
    The President. Got it? Everybody got it correct? All right.
    Q. Thank you.

Weekend Plans

    Q. What are your plans this weekend?
    The President. Like Stretch [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News], I'm on 
the injured reserve list from running, so I'll be mountain biking. I 
think Cat McKinnon is going come up from 
Austin. Oh, yes. And I'll be fishing. I'll be finishing my book, ``Peter 
the Great,'' by Robert K. Massie. Some of 
you old-timers have probably already read it. I'm just now--have you 
read it?
    Q. Getting ready for the next Russia trip.
    The President. Have you read it?
    Q. No.
    Q. I like when you said ``old-timer,'' and you looked at Steve 
[Steve Holland, Reuters]. [Laughter]
    The President. He probably had read it, and I wasn't going to look 
at Ann [Ann Compton, ABC News], of course, I'm too polite. [Laughter]
    We'll have briefings. Condi is coming 
to spend the night; Hadley will be 
spending a night there. We'll start briefing the Sharon visit Sunday night. And then we'll obviously greet the 
Prime Minister and then head off to Fort Hood on Tuesday morning and 
work on that speech probably Monday evening.
    Looking forward to getting back down there again. I may do a little 
cedar work--depends on how sleepy the crew is.
    Q. I'll be fishing, just down the Bosque River.
    The President. Really?
    Q. Yes. I'm sleeping at the Side Oats Ranch tonight.
    The President. Tell them hi. Middle Fork has got some water in it.
    Q. They do.
    The President. The Middle Fork comes down to my place.
    Q. Does it come down to you from his, or goes the other way?
    The President. I think it comes down, doesn't it? Yes, I think he's 
west of me, so it's coming down toward Waco. The Middle Fork feeds into 
the Brazos.
    Consider yourself lucky you get to go down to Texas.
    Q. I'm delighted.
    The President. You're not grousing about it, are you?
    Q. Oh, no, no, no. I'm sorry I missed Easter. I was at home for 
that.
    The President. It may be--I hope--I haven't heard, but it may be 
that the wildflowers, are they out yet? They say there is going to be a 
spectacular bluebonnet season this year; I mean spectacular.

2005 NCAA Women's Basketball Champions Baylor Lady Bears

    Q. Is that in honor of the Baylor women's basketball team?
    The President. I called, as a matter of fact, on the airplane flying 
to Rome, I called the coach, Kim Mulkey-Robertson, a fine person. I had met her before when

[[Page 579]]

she brought--you all saw her, at least if you were on the pool, right? 
Let's see--anyway, she was with the Midway girls softball team when they 
came out, the national champs softball team. Her daughter is a player on it, and so she came out with the 
parents. But she was one excited lady. And she did a heck of a job.
    Q. Blew them out.
    The President. They've got a great team. I'm looking forward to 
welcoming them to the White House.

Note: The interview began at 8:29 a.m. en route from Rome, Italy, to the 
Bush Ranch in Crawford, TX. In his remarks, the President referred to 
Lt. Gen. William E. Ward, USA, Senior U.S. Security Coordinator, 
Department of State; President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the 
Palestinian Authority; Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari and President 
Jalal Talabani of the Iraqi Transitional Government; President Jacques 
Chirac of France and his wife, Bernadette; former President Lech Walesa 
of Poland; Theodore E. Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington; 
U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, nominee to be U.S. 
Ambassador to Iraq; James Jeffrey, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy 
in Iraq; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA, commanding general, Multi-
National Force--Iraq; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; 
John D. Negroponte, nominee to be Director of National Intelligence; 
National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley; and Kim Mulkey-Robertson, 
head coach, Baylor University's women's basketball team. He also 
referred to the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform and the 
President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security (Moynihan 
Commission). A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
this interview.